Use Somebody
by Rose Colt
Summary: A war was waged, and as the wolves came out victoriously, he was forced to leave all he loved behind, including her, in hopes of saving his people. Now he's back after five years. Songfic, rated T but may change to M, will be my first multi-chap story!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer. Lyrics belong to KOL, although I've tweaked them a bit to fit the story.**

_I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see. _

She was sitting on top of the highest cliff of First Beach. He thought it was a fitting throne. She had always been wild, wanton, and free; and this high point of no return was where she reigned supreme. She was staring out at the rough seas and he took a moment to study her flawless features. The set of her jaw, the fiery spark in her eyes and the smooth brow all screamed: raw power.

_Painted faces fill the places I can't reach. You know that I could use somebody._

He had traveled across nations, prayed with mystics, and made pilgrimages over miles of barren lands. He had been gone the past five years, preparing for the moment when the power of their ancestors would pass through him and he would finally become the leader his people had waited over a century for.

_Someone like you and all you know and how you speak. Countless lovers undercover of the street. You know that I could use somebody, someone like you._

The beauty and serenity he had found over the past half-decade were nothing compared to the woman in front of him, her sheer beauty leaving him breathless. She smelled of sun and clay and something just so deliciously ripe, and once again he knew without a doubt that she would be his undoing.

_Off in the night, while you live it up, I'm off to sleep. Waging war to shake the poet and the beat. I hope it's going to make you notice, someone like me._

"You're back." She stated without turning to face him.

She was a goddess, his goddess, and he wanted nothing more than to kneel down and worship at her lovely feet.

He moved closer, praying she would turn her glorious face upon him.

"It's been a long time." She said as he sat beside her.

Ah, finally his prayers were answered. She shifted, so minutely that if it were anyone besides him it would have gone completely unnoticed, and he was granted a small glance at her full beauty. He knew it was on purpose, the half hidden face, it was his punishment for being away so long. He was so attuned to her every breath that he would never miss a fleeting thought to cross her features.

"Yes," he growled. "It's been long enough." He didn't mean for his words to come out so gruffly but he could barely breathe around her, much less control his voice.

She sighed. The soft sound coming from her full lips did wicked thing to his insides. He had always had a certain fascination with those lips and it had been so long since he tasted her. Since before the death of Nessie, which was shortly before his spiritual trek began.

"So you're ready?" she asked, her face still in a pout and her eyes still avoiding his.

"Yes. That's what they tell me." His voice was gentler this time. The 'they' he mentioned were the elders that had cruelly drug him away from this deity in front of him, right when they were both starting to realize how strong their feelings for each other really were.

"Well, I hope they're right. It would be awful if they had put all of their hope into a complete failure."

He couldn't help but growl under his breath, not at her but in agreement with her. And he knew it would be even more awful if they had taken him away from this creature and it ended up being for no reason, if all of the prophecies were wrong and he wasn't intended to be the immortal savior of the Quilete.

"Still the bitter harpy?"

And finally she turned to him, and upon seeing her face shining in the moonlight he felt the wind knock out of him and the earth tilt off its axis. It didn't matter if he was the most respected man in their tribe; she was still the only temple to which he offered his prayers.

"What can I say? I have abandonment issues." She spat back at him, before getting to her feet and walking away from him.

_I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see. _

**A/N: The more reviews, the quicker I'll update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to S. Meyer.**

"Leah," he growled as he shot up after her. She was nearly sprinting away from him and he couldn't help but think back on another time when he had been forced to chase her down.

_"Hey, slow the hell down!" he yelled, but it only caused her to quicken her pace. He was literally panting from the exertion of trying to catch her but it was worth it when he finally snagged her wrist and forced her around to face him._

_"Oh, go fuck a baby." She muttered under her breath, looking at the ground below. _

_"Is that all you have?" he spat back at her. "Go fuck a baby, Jake… Well I'm tired of hearing that line. It's getting a little old Leah."_

_"Sorry," she snorted while trying to yank her wrist from his grasp. "I've been a little preoccupied with the vampire posse trying to rip my ass to shreds to come up with new material. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll have plenty to make you cry about soon enough!"_

_He pulled her a little harder, the one wrist he had encircling both of hers was as strong as steel, and she couldn't help but stumble into him._

_"Damn it, Lee." he voice was a little softer this time, and she struggled harder against his hold, because she knew that voice. It was the voice that got them into this mess in the first place."Can you just slow down a minute? We need to talk."_

_"Funny, I've heard that one before… it ended with my heart in pieces." She laughed bitterly._

_"Don't fucking compare me to him." He growled and yanked her closer again, and she was only a breath away and those lips were just so tempting he couldn't stop himself from having a taste._

_This is the way it was with them. She would get him so pissed off he couldn't think straight, and then without even knowing it she would do something, bite her lip, flutter her eyes, breathe, and he would be right back under her spell._

_His kiss stopped when he realized she wasn't fighting back, but rather sitting there placidly letting him have his way with her. He didn't like this Leah; this submissive, hurt Leah. _

_His mouth left hers but he didn't pull away. Instead he rested his forehead against hers and invaded her personal space as much as possible. They were inhaling each other's breath; one went in as the other went out, and he knew she couldn't resist him when he was surrounding her, everywhere._

_"I'm not leaving you." He murmured. And they both noticed the way his lips brushed hers as he spoke._

_"Really? 'Cause where I'm standing it doesn't really seem like you have a choice." _

_"I'll be back. I don't know when but it can't be forever. I have to come back. We both know that." His voice was still soft but there was an edge to it now that she couldn't ignore. He wasn't lying to her; he really meant to come back to her. _

_Whether he did or not was another story._

_"What do I do while you're gone? The pack's having a hard enough time as it is, and with you gone the sides will be even more skewed." She was trying to keep as much emotion out of her voice as possible, but was failing miserably. The thought of Seth going down in a battle, or even Quil or Embry, was too much for her to handle. She couldn't be responsible for all of that carnage, and that's what it would be without Jake. A total bloodbath._

_"I've talked to Sam. He's going to combine his pack with ours until the war's over." He hated saying it almost as much as he hated letting it happen, but he would never let Leah fight this alone. And, of course, the moment Sam found out it was Leah needing his help he was all in. Always the white knight, that one._

_"I'm not going to be under his command again, Jake." She growled. "No way in hell."_

_"I know. That's why I demanded he be under your rule. You will continue on as Alpha of the packs combined." _

_"He agreed to that?" she snorted. Samuel Fuckface Uley handing over power to a woman? Not likely._

_"He agreed when he found out I would be leaving." He forced himself not to wince when he thought of the way Sam's eyes lit up when he heard the Oh So Powerful Jacob Black was being called away from his people in their most dire time of need._

_"There's only the four left. Alice and Jasper spoke to me after the last fight and they asked to be given passage. This war was not theirs to fight." He let her hands go and wrapped both arms around her waist, knowing she was a little less pissed than five minutes ago, and he could probably get away with a few minutes of PDA before she tried to bite his head off._

_"It will still be a devastating fight for both sides. Edward won't back down since we took out Bella. And Rosalie would never let Nessie be put in danger. And, of course, Emmett would never abandon Rosalie. But Nessie isn't as experienced as the rest, and the only reason she's not dead yet is because they've exhausted all of their energy guarding her."_

_Leah couldn't help but notice the way he spoke of Nessie so detachedly. It was as if he had never even imprinted on the little spawn. It's too bad it took her massacring an entire eighth grade class for this to happen. _

_"Jake, if we win this. If we get the other three, and Nessie is left, will you be alright with her dying at our hands?" She knew the hold imprints had over their wolves. She wasn't stupid; if your soul mate died then what was there left to live for?_

_"Lee, if I wasn't being forced on this epic journey, I would tear her apart myself." He leaned down to kiss her, and wasn't too surprised when she let him. "But, I guess I'll just have to settle with having you do it for me." He kissed her again a little rougher, before whispering, "My beautiful warrior." _

And that was the way the shape-shifters war against the vampires had ended. Jake had seen glimpses of it in the wolves' heads but hadn't heard the whole story until he arrived back in La Push the night before.

It was less than a year after Jake had left, and both sides had suffered severe losses. Sam and Seth were facing off against Edward when he delivered a fatal blow to Sam's head. If it weren't for the distraction of all the young wolves howling in agony, Seth might not have been able to corner Edward and rip the first of his limbs before Embry and Paul made it over to finish the job.

It came down to Leah and Nessie. Both heartsick over lost family members and the slaughter they had bestowed on beings they once thought of as friends. Nessie had lost both parents, and her favorite aunt and uncle, and Leah had watched wolves, some of who were young enough to be pups, die left and right. The packs' numbers were nearly cut in half by the time it was just the one Vampire hybrid left.

And when she made the comment about Jacob abandoning such a bitter she-devil, the wolves knew it was no longer their war. It was over within minutes, the little hybrid not putting up much of a fight against the girlie-wolf that had so much worth fighting for. All of the bitterness and anger she had held onto during the past decade finally made itself known in its full force. The vampire-girl barely had time to react before she was completely dismembered.

After the fires were put out and the pack members' bodies brought back to their loved-ones, the leftover wolves avoided Leah for a long time. It was clear, after her display of true feral-blooded violence, that she was meant to be the Alpha female, standing proud by their Alpha's side. But none wanted to face the power of this beautiful creature head on.

Jake couldn't help but think of this as he chased after her. She was just as powerful as he, and he knew it better than anyone. His equal in everyway, she was the one he needed by his side when this epic began and he still needed her just as much now that it was drawing to an end.

"Lee, wait." He forced the Alpha command out, knowing that as close as she would be to resisting it, eventually she just couldn't.

She spun around to face him, and the last thing he was expecting were the tears running down her face.

What he was expecting was the fist she threw into his face, easily breaking his nose. He knew it would happen but didn't block it. She had always been a violent one, and he would let her express her hurt in the best way she knew how.

She had gotten stronger over the years, he realized as a blow to the stomach took the breath out of him once again. He was starting to think maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in some sort of oxygen tank, he never seemed to have enough air when she was around.

She landed one more blow to his face, this one knocking his head sideways and bringing about a coppery taste to his mouth.

"You piece of shit." She spat at him. "You coward."

He saw red at the words but knew he could never hit her, never mar that perfect body and face.

"So much for the welcoming committee." He mumbled. He knew it would just further provoke her, but if she was going to be putting in cheap shots then the least he could do is fuel her rage.

"You're so full of shit. Every word you ever said, every promise. 'I'll come back, I have to come back to you Lee.' It was all a load of bullshit!" she was so angry that she was past the point of phasing, and if any of her pack members had been there they would have agreed that there was only one other time they had seen her so angry, right before she wiped the floor with the Spawn.

"That's it Leah, go ahead. Scream at me. Hit me. So how much you can fucking hurt me." He yelled right back at her. "You wanna hurt me, huh? You wanna see how much I'll bleed?" he started pushing her but she shoved right back.

"You weren't here! You fucking left! You went on your little goddamn trip to the holy land, and left us to fight your battle!" she was shaking and her eyes were wet, but she wouldn't let herself cry. He would never make her vulnerable again. "You ran off and I was left to clean up the mess… Sam, he… Sam died. Edward took his fucking head off."

"Ah, there we go. Now we're getting to the good stuff." He laughed, but his voice betrayed how much her words killed him. This was about Sam, it was always about Sam. "Is that what this is about? I left and you couldn't help but fall back into Sam's arms? Well I'm sorry, your bed must've been pretty cold the past four years!"

"You fucking asshole." She recoiled as if he'd struck her, and finally the tears that had been swimming in her eyes were falling. "I had to watch… I had to see Emily gather his body." She was choking now, and the pain he felt coming off of her was almost too much for him to bear. "Six families, one that didn't have any other children. Twelve parents, eight younger brothers and sisters, and ten older. I had to go to them and explain why their sons wouldn't be coming back. I had to stand there and watch mothers sob over their broken kids bodies… I, I ruined lives… I was ruining lives and you weren't here." The tears were wearing her out and her voice was no longer angry but sad, so sad.

He knew when he left that what she would have to do would be painstaking, but he knew there was no one else left to lead his people into safety. The vampires were not going to give up, and the fatalities were already high on both sides.

He could imagine his Leah walking up the steps to those houses, fumbling over words to tell parents, breaking hearts and dreams and futures.

He loved her more for it, and he realized that if he loved her anymore than it would consume him and he would disappear.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I wasn't here and I'm sorry."

"I still hear them scream. I still hear Rosalie's screaming as the flames consumed her. I still hear the howls as Sam's body was tossed away." She murmured.

He reached for her, hoping that maybe he could steal some of the pain and burden away from her.

But like the warrior he had always worshiped, she refused him, shoving his arms away from her and turning on her heel.

"Go back to your holy lands, Jake. There's no redemption to be found here."

**A/N: Review, let me know how I'm doing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

He didn't stop her as she walked away this time, and she couldn't help the feeling of abandonment that once again washed over her. She didn't mean to come off so angry and unforgiving, but at the same time she wasn't ready to let Jake back into her life.

He had promised her the world, when this whole thing started… he had promised to give her the whole wide world. But it seemed like whenever he was around; her world just got smaller and smaller making it hard for her to breath. It wasn't fair for one person to have such a hold over another, but it's the way it was with them. They were one in the same, living in separate bodies but infinitely connected. They couldn't exist apart, and if this wasn't something they had both realized early on, well she probably would have ripped his throat out right before shoving a paw up his ass. She didn't do vulnerable, he knew that better than anyone, so when she finally gave in to this undeniable… pull… they had towards each other, she made sure that he understood that either he was all in or he better walk away and not let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.

_"C'mon, Lee. You're not even putting up a fight!" he taunted her as she focused on breathing slowly, in and out, and not letting the ripples running along her back take her over. "C'mon, you gonna phase girlie-wolf? You gonna let all that unwanted sexual tension out finally and try to take me on?" _

_"Shut the fuck up, Black." She hissed as she snapped her eyes open to glare at him. _

_"Aw, poor Lee-Lee, always the bridesmaid, never the bride." He teased, his face sporting a typical shit-eating grin._

_She saw red, and barely muttered, "You better run, you little shit." Before she was pouncing Jacob mid-turn. He didn't even have time for a full turn away from her. _

_They weren't phased, and the way their bodies were colliding with each other and the tearing of flesh under fingernails became stunningly erotic. Neither could actually pinpoint the moment when things shifted, but one minute she was jabbing kidneys and drawing blood and the next she was gasping as his fingers danced their way across her chest. His teeth on her neck made her blood boil but she, surprisingly, didn't have the urge to phase. The shivers he was drawing out of her had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with the smell of earth and pine needles and oh, sweet lord…he was everywhere._

He had never expected to take Leah right there on the forest floor on the day of her first dress fitting for Sam and Emily's wedding. He had always fantasized about the she-wolf, and everyone thought it was bound to happen. The two were both just too… volatile… for something not to come of it. They would either end up together or end up killing each other in the process.

The first time they made love was quick and heated and perfect. The second time was slow and passionate and heart stopping and…perfect. The third time, well you can imagine. And this is how it continued for the Alpha and his Beta. The two became inseparable after their acts of pure want and desire. There was an unspoken bond between them before, and after, there was a very verbal binding of the two.

They belonged to each other, imprints and Sam Uleys be damned.

It was during this time that the great war of the vampires and werewolves came to be. Jacob and Leah were so caught up in their budding romance that neither noticed how hesitant the Cullen's had been to have them around. The pack didn't really think much of it, they weren't around enough to notice Nessie's control over her thirst start to wane.

But it was hard to miss the headlines about a small private school in Port Angeles going up in flames. It was Nessie's school, and even though his almost every thought was of Leah now, he still had that small part of him that constantly worried about the little hybrid. He ran to the Cullen's to find out if his imprint came out of the fire unscathed but he found the coven of vampires in an upheaval.

And he couldn't help but notice the two vampires with glowing red eyes that were standing on either side of his imprint, who soon turned to Jake and he saw the same crimson color where warm brown had once been.

Nessie had fucked up. She had just been too tempted, for just a single second. And neither of her parents were there quick enough to stop her.

Of course, as they explained to Jake, they couldn't risk their secret coming out because of a handful of thirteen year olds. They had worked too hard, Bella said, and Nessie was too important.

They did what they had to do, said Edward, in order to survive.

But Jake didn't hear this. He didn't hear Rosalie's screeching and Nessie's whimpering about forgiveness and it being an accident.

He heard a bunch of kids begging for their lives. He heard exactly twenty-four heartbeats speed up as the fear took over them, and then come to a stop as the greedy vampires ended their young lives.

He kept saying Nessie was too young for school. She may have looked and acted like a teen, but she had the control of a four year old. He kept saying they needed to have limits, even though he would be the first shape-shifter in history to deny his imprint anything, he truly believed she wasn't ready to be in such an environment as middle school.

And Leah kept saying that it didn't matter what he thought because the Cullen's were selfish and they would do what they had to so that their little spawn was happy. Including, murder a classroom of child-size witnesses.

It was this horrifying act that led to Jacob's imprint being broken, another first in shape-shifter history. Because, if you're the hero in this world, how can you be tied to a demon? How can your soulmate be a murderer?

Simple; you can't.

**A/N: It's a short chapter, but I'm getting excited about where this story is being taken and just wanted to get something posted. I hope to get even more reviews this time, they really do motivate me to update! Also, I think I'll be changing the rating from T to M, mainly because Leah's mouth is almost as dirty as mine. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

It took all of the self-control he possessed not to follow the pull towards Leah. He knew she needed time, but it had been five years. Five years of not being near her, not hearing that sexy scowl in her voice, not touching her permanently sun-kissed skin. He had been driving himself crazy over the past years just wanting her, and now that he was back, he wasn't planning on waiting much longer to have her.

To distract himself from hunting down the tempestuous she-wolf, he went to find his pack mates. He had only arrived back the night before, and the council who wanted to know every minute detail of his voyage thus far had monopolized most of his time, but word had spread around the reservation that the prodigal son of the Quilete had returned.

Jacob Black was home from his mysterious journey, they whispered. The boy who left five years ago was gone, and in his place was a man, a very powerful, respected man. There were murmurs among the people about how that light that was once shining so brightly out of Jacob was gone, and in its place was a seriousness that everyone thought he would never possess.

He started heading towards Embry's house, which was conveniently on the same side of town as Leah's. Embry had bought the small ranch after his twenty-second birthday, about a year before Jake left. It was a pretty plain house, small kitchen, living room, a bath and two tiny bedrooms. When Jake had asked Embry why he insisted on a second bedroom, Embry just said that he figured eventually Quil would move in.

As Jacob walked up the rickety porch steps, he caught a whiff of something delicious coming from inside. He was perplexed, since when did Embry cook?

He stood outside the door, contemplating if he should knock or just walk on in. These were his brothers…but it had been five years.

He decided to knock.

He waited at the door for a few minutes, straining to hear Embry's shuffling footsteps come to the door. But when the door opened, he had to look down to see the mop of black curls on the miniature Embry standing just behind the screen. The little girl was smiling and for a minute he just stood there staring at her.

"Hi." she hid half of her small body behind the semi-open door.

"Umm…hi? Is, uh, Embry home?"

The little girl giggled but before she could answer, a woman came around the corner with a hesitant smile on her face. She obviously wasn't used to someone Jacob's size, who was now easily 6'9 and pushing three hundred pounds, to be standing on the other side of her door.

The woman was pale-skinned in comparison to Jake, and had a lighter version of the little girls curls on her head. She walked up to the door, still warily eyeing Jake, and ran a hand over the child's hair.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm looking for Embry Call?"

"Sure, come on in." she held the door open politely for him as he stepped inside, then turned down the hall and disappeared into another room.

He was still a very alert shape-shifter, so he could easily make out what she was saying, 'Embry, someone's at the door.'

Instead of hearing a response, he heard another giggle coming from below him. He looked down to see the little girl smiling up at him from across the hallway.

"You're big." she laughed and for the first time in a long time he found himself wanting to smile.

"I know…I eat my vegetables." he rumbled back to her. He was still getting used to being around humans again, much less little girls that thought he was some giant. He just hoped he didn't scare her.

But he was rewarded for his efforts when she laughed again and this time he couldn't help but chuckle. The kid was adorable.

She was about to say something else when he heard loud footsteps coming down the hall.

"Jacob?"

Jake turned to the voice and was surprised at what he saw. Embry had aged. He was a grownup.

He wasn't old, but he had crinkles around his eyes and his slightly receding hair was cut short. He was still large, but probably only around 6'2 instead of his normal 6'5. He just looked so… human.

"Embry... You imprinted?" Jake couldn't help but ask.

Embry let out a chuckled before leaning down to scoop up the giggling girl.

"Nah… I'm married." he answered with a grin.

He looked so comfortable holding the girl and again Jake was struck by the similarities between the two.

"She's yours?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yep." Embry's grin grew even wider as he looked at the girl who was now playing patty-cake on his face. "Leanne, this is your uncle Jake."

Jacob's heart clenched at the word uncle. His pack brother had a baby, and he already loved her.

"She's great, Em." Jake smiled.

"Yeah, she's something."

The little girl then reach out to Jake and he hesitantly lifted his arms to take her. When she was securely against his body, he carefully studied her tiny features.

"I'm Lee-lee." she whispered in his ear then pulled away grinning.

He caught his breathe at the old nickname. They couldn't have…

"You named her after...?" Jake asked, letting his thoughts trail off.

"She wouldn't be here if it weren't for her." Embry answered, and seeing Jake's confused scowl, decided to elaborate. "After everything happened, she gave me the choice to stop phasing. She gave all of us the choice…and I did. About a year later I met Jess. We were taking night classes together and well, we just hit it off. Got married after six months and then another couple months later this rugrat came along." Embry leaned in to tickle Lee-lee and blew a raspberry on the little hand she was waving at him.

Jake couldn't believe what Embry was saying to him. This is why Embry had aged, why he seemed like a typical thirty year old instead of Jake's eighteen years. He looked how old he was supposed to look. And he married because he met a girl at school and fell in love. And he had a baby that wasn't going to turn into a little pup.

And he had never seemed happier.

"Wait a minute… how many guys decided to stop phasing?"

Embry took a minute to think and absentmindedly scratched his neck as he contemplated and Jake started to worry that maybe more had stopped than he thought. As Embry was silently thinking, Jake noticed Lee-lee squirming to be let down so after one more gentle squeeze, he set her down and watched as she ran in the other room to her mom.

"Well, after the fight… there were eleven of us left. Me, Leah, Seth, Quil, Paul, Jared, Colin, Mathew, Ryan, Lance, and Brett."

Jake let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He knew there were losses after the war, but he hadn't gotten the specific survivors' list yet, and it was a huge relief to know his original pack had survived. And, even though he hated to admit it, he was even glad Paul was still kicking, because it meant Rachel was happy.

"So, there were eleven?"

"Yeah, eleven. And… well it wasn't pretty Jake. We had all seen things…done things that will stay with us forever. So, eventually Leah just laid it out there for us. She told us we were grown men, we were able to control ourselves, and so she let us decide how we were gonna spend the rest of our lives. Living immortally as supernatural creatures or…not." Embry sighed and Jake could tell he was remembering that conversation, the one where Leah, the only female shapeshifter, and the one who bravely led them through battle, gave them their freedom.

"Well after she told us it was an option, and that she wouldn't ever hold it against us, we all thought it over. And it's not like any of us took it lightly! I mean, we all understood that once we made the decision and stopped phasing for good, then that was it. We would start aging and eventually well… you look like this and before you know it you're paying bills and looking into preschools." he chuckled. "So, after a while the ones who decided they were going to stop phasing did, and that left umm… Leah and Seth…Quil too for a while until Claire catches up to him… and Ryan and Brett."

Leah, Seth, Quil, Ryan, and Brett. Five. There were five pack members, five Quilete shapeshifters left after there was at one point twenty-two.

Embry continued to talk, but Jake was zoned-out. It saddened him to know his pack had diminished to nearly nothing, but at the same time he was glad that some of the guys had decided what they wanted from their lives… If he had the choice, well, he might not have chosen the path he was on now.

He heard a phone ringing and it snapped him out of his thoughts. Embry pulled a cell phone out of his back pocket and flipped it open.

"Danny-boy! What's up?" he said, and Jake couldn't help but notice that whoever was on the other end was obviously someone Embry considered a friend.

Jake tried to listen but could only make out a deep voice on the other line. He did notice Embry's eyes dart to him and then to the floor, while slightly shifting away from him and switching the phone to the other ear.

Was Embry hiding something from him? Why?

"Uh, no… No she's not here, I haven't seen her all day." Jake's ears perked up. She?

"Have you tried Seth?" Jake's eyes snapped to the phone and he tensed. He knew who the she was, why else would _Danny-boy_ need to call Embry and Seth?

"Oh… didn't come home last night?" Jake saw red.

Why was this man at Leah's home?

Embry noticed the stormy expression on Jake's face and knew he better cut the call short. "Yeah…If I see her, I will… Yeah man we'll get a round soon… Alright, later Dan." Embry snapped the phone shut and slipped it back in his pocket.

He may not be a werewolf anymore, but he still knew the telltale signs of phasing. And Jake was showing every single one of them.

"So…" he started, hoping to avoid the anger on his best friends face.

"Embry…" Jake gritted through his teeth, "Who is Dan?"

**A/N: Well, it's been quite the week, but I said I'd update by Thursday and here it is! I really like this chapter, I love Embry's character because doesn't really give us much to go on with him, and I love tying in the whole fatherhood aspect because I just get the feeling he would make an amazing dad, even if he never experienced one. I know there's a cliffhanger… I'm still really new to this whole 'chapterly' thing and I hope this keeps everyone satisfied. ******


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

"Embry…" Jake gritted through his teeth, "Who is Dan?"

Embry stood in the hallway and silently cursed himself for being so stupid. Of course he shouldn't have answered a phone call from Dan with Jake standing directly in front of him. It didn't matter if Dan was the Dali Lama and had called to say he had foreseen the apocalypse, Jake was going to freak and do god knows what to him after he finds out he was, for all intents and purposes, _Leah's_ Dan.

Jake was having a very hard time controlling the shivers coursing through his body, and he was shaking so bad that Embry could see the outline of his bodied actually trembling. This wasn't good.

"Embry!" he yelled, "Who the fuck is Dan?"

Embry still had some of his shapeshifter qualities, and he could still hold his own in any barroom brawl. But a human going up against an alpha shapeshifter, even an ex-shapeshifter, well it was going to be a pretty uneven fight. And Embry didn't want Leanne to witness how sad her old man was just yet. She still deserved to keep some of her superhero idolizations in tact.

"Listen Jake…"

"Who is he?" Jake was no longer yelling, but the strained whisper in which his words came out was even worse for Embry to hear. He was obviously holding onto control by a thread. And Jess would be pissed if he phased in the house.

"Jake, get your shit together!" Embry grumbled as he tried to shove his ex-alpha out the front door. "Christ, you can't just phase in here."

Jake let Embry get him outside but as soon as the screen door slammed shut, he grabbed him by the collar and forced him up against the outside wall of the house.

"I swear, Em, if you don't start talking…" Jake let the threat hang in the air, but Embry had more than enough of an imagination, hell he had more than enough experience with the ways in which Jake could physically torture another being, for him to get the picture.

"Jake. I can't tell you who Dan is," he flinched as Jake's hold tightened. "…it's not for me to tell. I'm sorry, but this is something you need to talk to Leah about."

He felt some of the air deflate out of his friend before he was set back on his feet. Embry couldn't help rubbing his neck to relieve some of the pain Jake's rather large hand had left behind.

He'd definitely have bruises to explain to Jess later.

Jake stood there, clenching his fist and obviously trying to control the urge to phase, and Embry couldn't help but wonder if he had lost any of his humanity while he was away.

"Now, why don't you go talk to Leah about this before things get out of hand." Embry suggested.

Jake scowled at him but seemed to be considering his advice.

"He said she wasn't at home?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, so you might have to search her out, but it's better this way. A lot's changed since you went away, and you two obviously have some talkin' to do. No offense man, but I'd rather not be anywhere near that conversation."

"Well, I won't have to look far. There's two places Lee goes when she's upset…and since she just abandoned me at the cliffs, that leaves…"

"Seth's."

**A/N: Here's the first half, it's extremely short but necessary to get where the next half takes place! Review review review!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

Jake stormed off of Embry's porch and made his way over to the apartment that he knew Seth was sharing with his current girlfriend. He had to fight every urge in his body telling him to just cross the street and take that short path to Leah's and find out who this Dan character was, preferably by beating him into submission.

Every possible scenario was running through his head, but none of them seemed to put him or Leah in a very good position. And all of them included Dan writhing in pain and hopefully losing plenty of blood.

Jacob was an Alpha. He was a wolf. He was a chief. He took what he earned and treasured what he had. Leah Clearwater fell into both of those categories, and he'd be damned if anyone would take what was his.

Not to mention Jacob was an insanely jealous, highly possessive male who felt the dominating need to own a sexy she-wolf that was currently doing her best to avoid his existence. It wasn't sexist; it wasn't immoral of him to think this way. His possession was his birthright, but more importantly his love. He owned Leah just as she owned him. It was sick and twisted and sometimes pure wrong… but it _just was_.

When he reached Seth's front door, he didn't even bother knocking but rather busted through the entrance and went in search of his better half. He didn't even register the couple on the couch cuddling. He was following his nose, and he would know that smell anywhere.

Leah was in the house.

He found her on the balcony staring out over the measly courtyard filled with broken benches and discarded trash. It wasn't a view worth much, but it was all a single shapeshifter without a college degree could afford.

He was struck again by her beauty, standing there surrounded by depleting cinderblock and wasted wrought iron, but this time he wouldn't let himself get distracted.

"You." she growled at him.

He sometimes forgot that she too had the wolf inside of her, and she probably smelt him coming from a mile away. But she hadn't run this time, and he wasn't going to let her go now.

"Me." he growled right back at her before grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him. "Explain."

"Explain what?" she scoffed. "I'm not fluent in Neanderthal so you'll have to translate this little rant into layman's terms."

"Who is he, Leah?" he wasn't shaking, but he still had a hold on her arm and she knew that if she was still human then she'd most likely have a broken humerus.

She couldn't lie to him. Not now. Not ever.

"He's my fiancé."

The hand on her arm tightened. He knew he had heard her correctly but the words just didn't seem to sink into his brain. If she had a fiancé then she was engaged, which meant she was in love, and she hadn't waited for him.

"Your what!?" his voice was getting louder and she knew for a fact that not only could Seth hear every word but his flavor of the week probably could as well. And everyone else in the surrounding apartments.

"You heard me. He's my fiancé, Jake." she kept her voice low, not wanting to provoke him even further.

"Your… your fiancé?" he spat the words back at her. "You're _engaged_?"

"Yes." she couldn't look at him. Couldn't meet those onyx eyes of his that could easily scorch her soul.

"What. the. fuck." Jake was shaking but Leah knew better, he would never, ever lose control around her. He wouldn't put her safety in jeopardy.

"I'm… I'm sorry." she tried to clear her throat, but the words didn't seem to come out any easier. "We met at the hospital, he took over as the chief of medicine and you know how it goes, doctor meets nurse and the rest is history." she coughed again and this time the catch in her throat was obvious. "I never meant to hurt you."

"No." Jake let go of her arm now but he didn't give her any room to get away from him. He stepped up closer to her, backing her into the cold, metal balcony. "No." he repeated.

"What are you talking about? _No_?" she tried not to flinch at the scalding look in his eyes. "You can't just say no, Jake. Sorry, this isn't up to you."

"You're not getting married, Leah." he growled before moving inches closer. "I won't _allow_ it."

"You've got to be kidding me!" she screeched at him. "You can't just barge back into my life after years of being who fucking knows where and tell me I'm _not allowed_ to get married!"

She saw the look in his eyes and knew what he was thinking before he even had a chance to form the words.

"What are you going to do, Jacob? Use an Alpha command?" she smirked at him.

"If I have too," he grinned back at her and for a moment her smirk faltered. "But I think I'll try this first."

And before she could move, his lips were on hers and his tongue was begging to tangle with her own. She couldn't breathe; she didn't want to breathe ever again if it meant she could just spend a few more seconds in this position. Her hands tangled in his hair and oh, how she had missed the shaggy locks that she was now tugging fiercely. His hands were roaming her sides and he heard her gasp as one skimmed across the soft flesh on the side of her breast.

He growled and the hands in his hair grasped on tighter. It had been so long since either of them had felt this heat.

It wasn't until he tasted the oceanic salt from her tears that he pulled away. They were both gasping for air and she was holding back sobs. He didn't understand why she was crying. Everything was okay, he was home and everything was fine.

He was home, and they still loved each other.

But as he pulled back from her, he saw the tortured look on her face and the way her hands were now grasping at some unseen force gripping her chest.

He knew that look. He had experienced that look firsthand.

"No… Lee, no." he tried to take a step closer. This couldn't be happening. The fates were not this cruel.

"I'm sorry," she winced as her heart gave an especially strong squeeze. "I can't…do this."

"This isn't happening," he grabbed her face between his large hands and tried to keep hold of her. He couldn't let her leave now. "Please, Lee. I love you…Please."

She whimpered and he knew the pain she was in.

"Jake, I… I imprinted." she gasped out just before breaking free of his hold and making a dash for Seth's door.

**A/N: Review review review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

Jake watched Leah dart past him and something inside of him snapped. He wasn't doing this again. Enough running. It's time they figured out whatever the hell was going on.

He bolted after her and had caught her up in his arms before she even made it to the door.

She struggled out of his grasp with all she had. The feel of his arms reminded her of cliff diving, and campfires, and those late nights when patrol was the farthest thing from their minds. And she couldn't cope with the way his hands made her body tingle and every inch of her skin bloomed into heat for his touch.

"Jesus, Jake get your hands off me!" she screamed at him. She could hear shuffling in the other room and prayed that Seth knew better than to interrupt the brawl about to happen between the male and female Alphas.

"No. Not this time, Leah." His hands grasped her tighter and finally she gave up the fight. He wasn't letting her go and she had better accept that. "You keep running but I'm done chasing you. We're having this out right here, right now."

"There's nothing to have out!" her voice was still raised but she conceded to turning around and facing him. "I'm engaged, end of story."

"Fuck that." He growled. "Not end of story."

"What'd you expect Jake? Me to wait around for five years?" she laughed bitterly.

"Yes!" he was yelling now, too. "Five years, a hundred years. I didn't think it'd matter. You were supposed to wait!"

"Yeah, well I guess you really don't know me as well as you thought. I don't do well at being alone."

"That's bull. You're the strongest person I know. You can handle anything, can take on anything."

"No, not anything…" she whispered and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear. She was so broken, so torn. Neither of them knew what to do with each other.

But, if this is what broke Leah Clearwater, if his leaving was the one thing she couldn't handle… then he knew it was love. She loved him, she couldn't lose him. He knew that just as well as she did. It wasn't that she hadn't waited; it was that she broke, without him she was broken.

"Babe," he murmured, loosening his hold and bringing a hand up to brush the long, dark strands out of her eyes, "Lee, I'm sorry. I don't know if I can ever make you realize how sorry I am that I had to leave. I knew it would be hard. I knew I was asking a lot…but I thought…" he paused, not sure how to continue and knowing that she wasn't going to respond well to anything he said. "How could you ever doubt the way I feel for you?"

"I don't know… a half a decade without any form of communication might have had something to do with it."

He chuckled at her half-assed insult.

"So you…imprinted?" he asked hesitantly. She was still letting him hold her, which was a good sign.

"Yes, on Dan…Daniel Witter." Her eyes lit up, but he found solace in recognizing that it wasn't with the same intensity as Embry's did when he talking about Jess and Leanne. Maybe there was hope.

"When?"

"Two years ago… he took over Carlisle's place at Tri-County General."

That wasn't good. He was a doctor, obviously a great one if he took over the chief of medicine position, and he had already had two years with Leah.

"And you're engaged?"

"God, you're like a broken record today." She let out a small grin, and he noted that it was his special grin, the one she saved for him and him alone. His heart lifted just a bit more. "Yes, we're engaged. Wedding's in two months." She paused when she heard him suck in a breath. "I'm so sorry, Jake."

He exhaled slowly and before she had time to utter another apology, gently reached down and pressed his lips to hers. This kiss wasn't as rough and needy as the one before. It was slow, tender, and completely capable of breaking Leah's heart. Before either of them could get too carried away, Jake pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

"I… I shouldn't have left." He whispered. This shocked her, and she glanced up to find his eyes squeezed shut. She could tell he was in pain and she hated it. She never wanted to hurt him.

She knew that his leaving was meant to change the fate of their people, but that's all she knew. He couldn't possibly regret that, not if he was saving them.

"Why? Jake, why'd you leave? You were gone five years… five years and you only kept in touch with the council. Five years and I didn't hear a goddamn peep out of you." Her voice wasn't as harsh as her words, she didn't want to fight but she was tired of all the vague explanations for his leaving. She wanted to know the truth.

"Lee, you knew I had to leave, you said you understood… you said you'd wait for me." He stuttered out the last part and her heart broke a little more. In so many ways he was still the Jake she fell in love with six years ago, traces of the boy stuck inside the grown man's body with just so much responsibility on his young shoulders.

"I did… but I need to know why. I'm tired of being in the dark…" she reached for him again and his heart soared. It was the first time since he'd been back that she actually made an effort to be near him, to touch him. "Jake, tell me why… Please." She brushed her lips across his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Give me a reason to fight this imprint."

He couldn't believe her words. She was willing to fight; all he had to do was be honest with her. All he had to do was relive the past five years, tell secrets he swore he'd never tell.

But she was willing to _fight_! His warrior, his goddess, his true reason for being.

All _his_.

She was engaged to be married, and to a man that Jake could tell was a superhero in his own right. The type of guy who played finger puppets with sick kids and saved lives and was obviously amazing if he even got Leah to give him the time of day, imprint or not.

And she was willing to give all of that up, or at least try to, if would only explain to her why he left all those years ago.

He opened his mouth to speak, the words just fighting to get out of him fast enough. But then several things seemed to happen at once.

The phone started ringing and he heard the front door bang open.

A tall man with curly brown hair walked in and Leah froze before whispering, "Dan?"

"So this is Jacob?" the man, Dan, asked wryly.

And Seth walked in from the living room. "Jake, the council is expecting you…now."

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me longer to update than normal…this week has been hell on earth! I'm planning on updating again either late tonight or tomorrow. And the next chapter will have all of Jake's trip explained and will also tell some of the Cullen's story! Please REVIEW; I want to be sure this story isn't losing interest!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

"Can you tell them I'm busy and that I'll be over when I can, Seth?" Jake answered curtly. The council had already somewhat caused this disaster and if he left now then things would only become more catastrophic.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of Dan since he had come through the door, but he was keeping tabs on Leah from the corner of his eye. She looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Uh, they said now, Jake." Seth replied quietly. He really didn't want to get caught in the middle of whatever was going on in his hallway but he also didn't want to risk pissing off the council.

Old Quil may look like he's a hundred, but he could stretch out a lecture for hours while simultaneously making you feel like you were two inches tall.

"Damn it Seth, give us a minute!" Jake voice was raised and Seth knew he shouldn't press him any further. A pissed off Jake made a pissed off Old Quil look like a tame kitten. Instead of saying anything he just directed a look at his sister and went to find his date.

"Dan, I don't…I was umm," Leah was struggling to get her thoughts together. Her future husband and her soul mate were in the same room and she was feeling light-headed. "This is Jacob." She finally admitted.

Dan turned from her and stuck out a hand towards Jake, "I've heard a lot about you."

Jake took the offered hand and gave it a stronger squeeze than necessary, still not able to speak just yet.

"Jacob got home last night." Leah didn't know what else to say, nothing seemed appropriate.

"Yeah, I heard you've been out traveling for the past few years." Dan smiled at Jake then looked to Leah. "I'm sure that it was worthwhile."

Jake snorted.

"Not exactly." He couldn't be in the same room as this man much longer without phasing and ripping his limbs off. He was already having a hard time keeping his shaking to a minimum. "Lee, I need to go to see the council."

"But, you were going to…"

"Come with me. I'll tell you everything if you just come with me." Jake interrupted her. He wasn't ready to give up just yet and he knew that he would have to explain everything to the council anyways.

"Dan, do you mind?" she asked timidly.

He growled when he saw Leah look to Dan for reassurance, as if to ask permission if it was okay that she went with Jake. He knew it was the imprints sick curse taking hold of her. There was something so entirely wrong with the look on her face, and the way she silently sought out consent.

The Leah Clearwater he knew didn't ask permission for anything.

"No, Lees. That's fine." He walked over and pulled her into his arms, and Jake had to force himself to stay still when all he wanted to do was walk over and rip Leah out of the guys grasp.

Dan looked at Jake over Leah's head and this time he couldn't help the growl that escaped his clenched teeth.

"Bye babe, come find me after." Dan whispered in Leah's ear before sweeping down and catching her perfect bow lips in a gentle kiss. "I love you."

Jake watched as Leah nuzzled into Dan's neck for a moment longer before responding with her own quiet declaration of love. It was the firs time he truly cursed his supernatural hearing.

"Lee, let's go." Jake stepped up to the couple and took hold of Leah's arm before not so gently tugging her out of Dan's hold.

As the two shapeshifters exited the apartment and headed towards the tribal house, Leah couldn't help yanking her arm out of Jake's reach.

"You might be Alpha, but it doesn't mean you have to act like a fucking barbarian."

"You two were making me nauseous." He growled back.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been literally breathing down my neck and had actually given us some privacy then you wouldn't have felt so sick."

"Yeah, just what I want to do, leave the two of you alone so you can go into full detail about how _in love_ you are." He rolled his eyes at her, and she couldn't help smirking at the childish expression.

"Green's not your color, Jacob."

"Don't Jacob me." He scowled. "Are you forgetting your own little green monster all those years ago, in the form of Nessie? You didn't even try to hide your insane jealousy."

"Don't compare Dan to that spawn!" she yelled at him. "He saves lives, she destroyed them!"

"Is he saving your life, Lee?" Jake asked quietly as they approached the door to the tribal house.

She didn't know how to answer that. Dan was her light in the darkness that was the past few years of her life. But, Jake had saved her over and over again. Jake had saved her from disappearing.

Luckily, she didn't have to give him answer because at that moment Billy wheeled through the door and met them in the entryway.

"Jake, Leah. Good too see the both of you." Billy greeted them quietly. He had aged a lot in the years since Jake had left. And Leah could feel the guilt rolling off of the brooding man next to her and couldn't help pressing her hand to his palm in reassurance.

It was a small gesture, but his back straightened and he drew himself up to his full height before looked his father in the eyes.

"Dad," Jake nodded at the worn, old man. "I heard you called."

"Yes, the last council member got in this afternoon, and now that we're all together we'd like to hear about your…travels."

Jake nodded again before grasping Leah's hand in his own and making his way into the small building. He had spent plenty of time in the tribal house before he left, and he still knew his way around the small space. He followed the hallway past two doors and stopped at an open door on the right. Leah gave his hand another reassuring squeeze before they both entered the quiet room.

There was a table set up on one side and at the table they could see five chairs and an empty space. Each of the chairs held a member of the council, Old Quil in the middle, Sue Clearwater on his left, Kadi Moonrise next to her and on the right was Wyatt Tasi and Emily Uley.

Jake heard Leah gasp and he figured she had spotted Emily. She must have been the last council member to arrive because she hadn't been there the night before but he had definitely been expecting her. It was only right that Emily take Sam's spot on the council, just as Sue took Harry's. Of course, Leah probably didn't realize this, and he couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since the two cousins had seen each other.

He was starting to think that maybe bringing Leah with him wasn't the best idea. But then he felt her jerk free from his hand and he turned to watch her run to Emily and collapse on her knees in front of the young widow. Leah wrapped her arms around her cousin, and Emily stroked her long, raven hair. Both were shedding silent tears and seemed to be speaking in a broken tongue no one else in the room could understand. It was the language spoken between long lost sisters.

He caught sight of Sue quietly wiping her face and he knew that he was not the only one touched by this reconciliation.

"Jacob." Old Quil was the first to break the silence and Jake's eyes went to the withered man.

"Yes."

"It is, of course, good to see you again. You are looking better rested than last night." The old man ran his eyes over Jake's form once again and the shapeshifter couldn't help but snort. He was no better rested, and he had yet to shower since he'd been home. If anything, it was his nerves being frayed to their ends that caused his change in appearance.

There was nothing like the looming possibility of losing your soulmate to make you bright-eyed and jumpy.

"I see you've brought the Clearwater girl." Wyatt nodded in the direction of the two women who had yet to let loose their embrace. "You know these meetings are for the council and chief only."

Jake saw Leah's head pop up on the word chief, and he cursed himself for not telling her sooner. The council had already passed the vote on making him their next leader, all that was left was the initiation ceremony.

"She stays or we both go." Jake ground out. He knew she needed to hear what he was going to tell the council, just like he knew that if he wanted to have any chance of keeping her in his life then he needed to fully bring her into his. She needed to know everything, of that he was sure.

"That's not the way of the-" Wyatt began before being cut off by Old Quil.

"Tasi, that's enough." His low voice rumbled on, "If Jacob says she must stay, then we are not to argue."

Jake mumbled his thanks as Leah came and stood next to him once again. She stood to the right and although this time their hands weren't clasped, it was clear to all of the council that they stood before them as equals.

"There is much to discuss before the ceremonies commence." Billy began, "We need to know of the success of your ventures."

"The Volturi is gone." Jake ignored the gasp escaping the lips of the women beside him and continued. "The last of the guard has dispersed and represent no threat to us."

"And what of the rest of the Cullen's?" Old Quil asked.

"I traveled with Carlisle for a short period throughout Romania. He expressed his desire to continue the work he is doing on the bio-weapon that will convert the remaining human hunters into the more peaceful vegetarians. He still travels with Esme, and their two children that are left now go by Whitlock and reside in Margate, England."

Leah was trying her hardest to absorb all of this new information. The Volturi was gone? And Jake was in contact with Carlisle and the remaining Cullen's?

What about his spiritual trek? His quest for enlightenment? Had he really lied about all of that and actually gone on some renegade search for the last of the vampires?

How could he risk himself like that?

She was so caught up in the questions and accusations running through her mind that she almost missed the rest of Jake's recount.

"We encountered trouble with the Romanian vampires, they believed they could take back the empire after the Volturi guard was neutralized. We had to destroy them both, which was unfortunate due to Carlisle's past history with them."

"Did the Cullen show any hesitation towards killing them?" Wyatt asked with what seemed to be a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"No." Jake answered curtly. "He was better prepared than me and he took out the first with incredible speed and accuracy."

Leah couldn't help the smirk that formed when she noticed Wyatt's obvious disappoint. Wyatt Tasi was the second youngest of the council, only older than Emily. And it had been made apparent several times that he was envious of her generations' abilities and duty to the tribe.

It also seemed like he was rather envious of Jake's important role to their people, and was looking for anything he could find to push the younger man from the graces of the council.

"Were any more threats discovered after the Romanian's?" Sue questioned. It was strange for Leah to hear her mother sound so… judicial.

"Carlisle recently informed me that there was rumors of an uprising from some of the nomads. I sought out several that I believed to be responsible for the recent activity and… dismembered them. Nothing more has been heard since."

"Hopefully that gave them their warning…" Old Quil commented to himself. "It seems this journey was lucrative. And you feel fully able to lead this tribe, and the others joining our nation, into a harmonic living alongside the vampires?"

"Yes, sir." Jake answered resolutely.

"And the methods you have learned over the past five years have prepared you to be completely capable of defeating the rest if the cold ones decide a harmonic living is not possible?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good… You have grown into your birthright, son. And we are proud to call you our own." Old Quil said, "and I, as former chief of this tribe and leader of this council, give full guidance of the Quilete people to Jacob William Black. It is with honor that I follow you."

Leah's eyes shone as the rest of the council murmured their agreement. Her heart was bursting with pride for the man beside her and she couldn't do much more than stare slightly agape, as Jacob seemed to shine under the confidence of the council.

This was her chief, her wolf, her lover.

And as she thought this she felt the bindings holding her to Dan start to jerk against her heart. It felt like the steel cables were tangled together and each of them were straining to be free. The pain was unbearable, and she grasped for Jake's arm as the excruciating sensation brought her to her knees. She was losing feeling in her arm and her lungs seemed to simultaneously stop working.

"Leah? Lee, you alright?" she heard Jake ask through the black haze that was threatening to take her over. "Leah, can you hear me?"

She tried to open her mouth, tried to reassure him, but all that came out was silence as her body went limp and her eyes closed.

**A/N: I promised to explain Jake's trip and there it is! Also, some Cullen action. Keep in mind that although the Cullen's were a tight-knit family, I personally don't see Carlisle as the type to accept what Nessie had done so his abandoning them was realistic…Anyways, I'm hoping to get lots of reviews for this chapter, I think it's one of my favorite and also, on a personal note, the love of **_my_** life is leaving Wednesday for the army and I won't see him for several months so I know it'll be a shitty couple of days (or months). So, review, review, review and brighten my week!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

"Leah? Lee! Wake up!" Jacob yelled desperately as he cradled the women in his arms. He couldn't hear any of the shuffling going on behind him, couldn't hear Sue and Emily scream in fear, couldn't hear Billy wheel over to try to help the young couple.

All he could hear was the sound of Leah's heart pumping, slowly struggling and finally…stopping.

"No! Someone help me! Get a doctor!" he screamed, his eyes clouding over with tears and his mind fogging up with fear and one steady thought of panic. This couldn't be happening.

"Jake, you need to get out of the way!" Billy roared as Jake felt a pair of strong hands shove him away from the beautiful shapeshifter. "Let go of her, Dan needs to take her!"

He felt like the world was moving in slow motion as he watched his soulmate be laid out on the dirty wood floor of the tribal house. His blood was pumping quickly, the urge to phase overwhelming.

He watched as Dan did compresses against her chest, as he heaved breath back into her. The sight of his lips on hers didn't even register with Jake. All he was focused on was straining to hear the silence coming from Leah's chest. Her heart was still not beating.

"We need to get her to the hospital, now!" Dan was trying to remain calm among the chaos around him and the council had to commend the young man who was not falling to pieces over his fiancé's maybe death. "Jake help me carry her out to my car!"

Jake jumped from the ground and helped Dan lift Leah. He spared Sue a look as he passed and saw that she was now wrapped in Emily's arms and while the latter was hysterically sobbing, Sue seemed to be staring at her daughter in silent anguish. Jake knew exactly what she was thinking as they met eyes briefly.

Leah is strong. The strongest. With the greatest heart. There is no way it can fail her now.

The ride to hospital passed in a blur, and Jake did his best to not phase and tear Dan's arms off when he commanded that the shapeshifter stay in the waiting room. But Dan was a doctor, and Jake was a werewolf. And for now, watching Leah be rolled away on a stretcher, he knew she was with the man she needed to be with.

Time passed slowly as he waited. He noticed Seth joining him at some point before going off to find his mom. He studied the clock on the wall for what seemed like days, noting how the minute hand always seemed to skip past the six. He wondered if it was maybe some sort of sign. At some point Dan came out and spoke quietly to Sue, and for the second time Jacob cursed supernatural hearing as he tried to block out words like heart attack… intubated breathing and defibrillators… heart failure.

Dan explained how he did everything he could. How the heart had been stopped for so long and the recovery rate for someone whose heart refused to beat was less than five percent.

The rest of the council showed up at the hospital sometime soon after Dan and they explained the legends of fighting the imprint and how when the imprinter makes the decision to break the bond their heart goes into a state of panic, often times referred to in the medical world as a myocardial infarction: a heart attack.

He had never been devout, as Leah was his favorite celestial being. But as he heard the last broken sentence Dan let out, how it was up to her now and they just had to wait for Leah to make a decision, he sent his desperate prayers up to every deity that he thought might listen.

**A/N: Short but I wanted to get something up for everyone who has been patiently waiting! Last chapter I broke my review record, and I would love to have even more reviews this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

Jacob waited for three days and three nights by Leah's bedside. The days he spent quietly absorbing the world passing by around him. He watched as Sue and Seth came and went, over and over again, never leaving for too long. He sat silently by as Emily wept over her cousins lifeless body. He dug his nails into his palms and clenched his jaw as Dan tenderly kissed Leah's forehead.

And at night he prayed. And begged. And often screamed. However the screams were silent and the begging was in his head. He spoke to Leah, the broken girl of his dreams. He apologized over and over again for leaving. He described every single fiber of her being that kept him so enthralled. He argued with her over her imprint, because he hated the bastard even if he was some superhero.

He told her he loved her.

But none of what he was saying seemed to matter because the monitors showed no changes. Dan explained that things weren't looking so good on the third day, and he sat Sue down and told her Leah's opinion on being kept alive on respirators and trache tubes.

Of course she was against it, Jake wanted to scream at him, but that does not mean anyone is going to take her off of it now!

He wasn't losing her, not now after everything. If it meant he had to take up permanent residency in the hospital room, then he would make a bed on the floor and put a toothbrush in the bathroom.

He wasn't leaving and she wasn't quitting. That's what he told Sue, because ultimately the decision was left to him. Sue wanted what her daughter would have wanted, and hearing her talk about Leah in the past tense made Jacob want to cry and scream and rip his hair out.

She wasn't gone! She wasn't in the past, damn it!

When Dan came back, after his shift on the third night, he sat down across the bed from Jake. This time he didn't immediately begin whispering to Leah of his love and showering her with gentle kisses.

This time he looked at Jake, who was holding Leah's right hand. It was her dominant hand, on her dominant side, and Jacob had experienced her mean right hook on several occasions. It was her stronger hand, and it held scars from fights he wasn't around to witness.

Dan let out a deep sigh, the sound of a man who had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Jacob tensed knowing that whatever he said was bound to say would be terrible news. It was always terrible news in these situations.

"I'm transferring out of the hospital next month." He blurted out suddenly and Jake's head lifted so quickly, he felt the sudden signs of whiplash.

He stared at Dan, wondering where this was coming from. He noticed that there was something in his hands, some small object he was mindlessly fiddling with. It was shiny and looked to be almost two karats.

Leah's engagement ring.

"You know, when I first moved here there was this nurse in pediatrics. She had blonde hair and was tiny. Total opposite of Lees. We flirted, and I can remember how I would try so hard to make stupid jokes just to make her smile." He sighed again, his head still down, the ring in his hand still making endless circuits between his fingers. "I was almost ready to ask her out, had almost built up the courage… Then I was paged to geriatrics one day and bam, there was Leah in all her Amazonian glory."

Dan lifted his head and met Jake's stare.

"I have never felt such a strong pull towards anyone in my life, and I was shocked when she came on to me first." He smiled to himself. "Leah was so far out of my league, ya know? Completely untouchable. And within minutes of meeting her she was asking me to coffee… I was thrilled."

Jake wasn't sure what was happening, but he couldn't bring himself to shut Dan up. He definitely didn't want to hear the story of how the two came to be, but at the same time he wasn't able to quench his morbid curiosity. He stayed silent and Dan took it as a sign to continue.

"She told me about you from the very beginning…Jacob Black. The man who had her heart and left with it. She said you weren't coming back, but I think she always knew deep down that you couldn't leave her forever…Who could?" he laughed quietly. "When she told me about you shifters, and imprinting, I wasn't fazed. How else could such a goddess give a guy like me a chance?"

Dan took a deep breath and seemed to be holding back tears, "I never had to try to make Leah smile and for the longest time I thought that was the best thing in the world…Then you come back and she hates you, I mean really hates you, but you're persistent and…you earn her smiles. You'll earn back her trust and… you'll probably earn back her love soon, too."

Jacob couldn't believe what he was hearing…couldn't comprehend what Dan was saying.

"Her body won't survive fighting this, her heart won't survive. So, I'm pulling myself out of the running." Dan looked to Leah and brushed a hand over her silky locks, "I want her to live and be happy… and I know that she can only do that with you. So, in a month I'll transfer across the country, somewhere warmer maybe, and hopefully meet a nurse to woo with my lame jokes. A nice girl that's all smiles and big blue eyes, maybe a brunette this time." He grinned.

And for the first time in days, Jacob cracks a smile. His heart slowly lifts and he feels a sort of brotherly camaraderie with Dan. He no longer despises the young doctor. He appreciates him, and maybe even respects the man. And he quietly gets up from his chair, his back popping from disuse and his knees slightly creaking.

"I'll give you two some time to…talk." Jake says quietly.

He can give Dan this, this time for goodbye. He steps out of the small hospital suite for the first time in three days and walks the halls for a bit.

He wanders down to the cafeteria and gets himself a coffee, black.

He stands outside of the pediatrics ward and thinks about the black-haired babies he and Leah were meant to have.

He visits the geriatrics floor and smiles at the thought of Lee spending her time there everyday, batting away frisky old men and doling out compliments to grandmothers with so much spark left in them.

He finds a bench outside in the courtyard and reflects on his life, pre-Leah, during Leah and realizes he can't even imagine post-Leah. Even during the years he was away, she was still the center of his life, the reason he agreed to the dangerous mission in the first place. He wanted their kids to have a safe and secure future, one where vampires weren't a constant fear.

He finally returned to her room and was about to open the door when Dan came out. There were tears in his eyes but a smile on his face, as he gestured to Jake.

"I think there's someone who wants to talk to you." Dan grinned and Jake couldn't help the sudden inability to breathe.

Did that mean…?

He barged in the room so fast he almost knocked Dan over in the process. He could hear him chuckling in the hallway at his enthusiasm, but it didn't matter because Jake's eyes were full of the women sitting up in front him. Her dark eyes were clear and her face looked fresh and rosy instead of the pale it had seemed just hours before.

He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and was sure the smile on his face made him look like some sort of deranged man. He'd never been so happy.

Leah noticed his joy and laughed at his speechlessness. His Lee was back, and he welcomed the joyful tears streaming down his face. They matched the tears shining in her eyes.

"You have some explaining to do, mister." She wiggled her finger at him reproachfully but the pure delight hadn't left her features. "What's all this about renegade vampire hunting? And why was I not invited?"

**A/N: I personally love this chapter, and secretly love Dan. (In case you're wondering I based his character off of Pacey Witter from Dawson's Creek. Joshua Jackson is dreamy and Pacey is the perfect guy in my eyes!) Anyways, there you have it… The imprint is broken, and Leah did have a heart attack when she herself went against the imprint. But since Dan went along with her true wishes and 'pulled himself out of the running,' she recovers from her heart attack almost immediately. I hope this chapter gets lots of reviews, I'd really like at least fifteen because I haven't gotten that many for one chapter yet, and they do make me update faster!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

Dan's POV

I sat in the hallway of the ICU for the third night in a row. I'd kept checking on Lees but every time I walked in I saw Jacob and the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy washed over me. Like I was a third string running back playing on the field with Favre.

I knew he would come back, I told her countless times. But she insisted that whatever they had once shared was over and that even if he did come back, the imprint bond was much stronger. We were soul mates, and for a while I believed her.

When a girl like Leah Clearwater walks into your life, you do everything in your power to not let her walk out again. Admittedly, I'm not necessarily bad looking and being a doctor helps me with the ladies, but I had never dreamed of attracting a woman of Leah's capacity. In my eyes she was truly perfect. Her flawless bronzed skin, legs that reached her chin, and those waves of ebony hair.

If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said that perfection doesn't exist. I would have said that I wasn't interested in perfect; I was interested in real.

Leah was both…unfortunately so was Jacob Black.

When I walked into Seth's three nights ago, the reality of Jacob hit me like a freight train.

I knew all of the wolves were flawless beings, all stronger and fiercer than any human. But being in the presence of the raw power that Jacob emanated was eye opening to say the least. And the way he was staring at Lees, as if she was the sun and he was the earth, well it shook me. It took a single second for Leah to whisper my name in agony, and in that same second I accepted the fact that I would be giving her up.

The heart attack was not part of the plan. If I had known a few days ago that verbally relinquishing my role as soul mate in Leah's life would have saved her from that fate then I would have admitted to Jacob and the rest of the council immediately that I was finished. I was willing to let Lees out of my life, as long as it meant saving hers.

And, the look on Jacobs face when I told him was priceless. As a doctor, I knew what it was like to give someone the best and worst possible news. But seeing Jake's eyes light up like that and knowing that, no matter how broken my heart would be in the very near future, I had just done the right thing, maybe the best thing in the world for this one person…well it was a pretty awesome feeling.

But when he excused me to explain myself to Leah, I felt like my heart might rip out of my chest. I knew giving her up would be hard, but this pain was just unbearable.

"Why the long face, babe?" I heard a voice murmured from the bed. I lifted my face from my hands and there she was in all of her hospital gown glory.

"Lees." The waterworks were starting and I knew it was as much for her recovery as it was for the reason behind it.

Our time was coming to an end. She would live and I would leave.

"You gave us a scare. There are several people who would have been furious if you hadn't decided to wake up." I whispered, before taking her hand in my own and placing a tender kiss on her palm.

She cupped my cheek before smirking. "When am I not giving this town a hard time?"

"Very true." I smiled. "Jake's outside, I can get him if you want."

"Not yet, babe. I'm not ready just yet."

I had to agree with her, so I just covered her hand with my own and we sat silently for a few minutes.

"Thank you, by the way." she said after a while.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Well I can finally tell you that your hair needs cut, for starters… and I don't feel the undeniable urge to obsess over you."

"Yeah that can get old real fast…beautiful women at my beck and call." I winked at her and she just rolled her gorgeous brown eyes. "Lees, you know I would never have—"

"And I never would have asked." She interrupted. I knew what she was saying, could still read her.

She never would have asked me to leave, at least not for her own happiness.

We both paused before breaking into quiet laughter.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I thought there was any other way…any at all." I grinned at her. "I'm no saint."

"Nah, you're some kind of devil." She smirked back at me, but I saw the pain hiding behind her sarcastic smile.

"I can't believe this is happening…I don't know if I can do this Daniel. I don't know if I can give you up." She started to break down into quiet sobs so I crawled up on the bed with her.

"Baby, please don't make this harder than it already is for me."

"I know…I know…it's just. I wanted to marry you… I was ready to grow old with you by my side" She paused, taking a breath and trying to control her tears, "It was never that you weren't what I wanted."

"I'm just not what you need." I replied, soothingly stroking her dark hair and pressing a kiss to her temple.

She nodded, I sighed.

"He's a good man…hasn't left once. Hasn't tried to rip my head off yet…" I laughed. "You love him and that matters."

"I love you too, ya know?"

"Yeah, but… if this world was what I thought it was up until three years ago… if shifters didn't exist. Well, I'm pretty sure you'd still love him Lees."

"True." She chuckled. "Never would bullshit around huh?"

"Eh, you know me. I'm more of a get to the point then roll with the punches kinda guy."

"I will always love you, Dan…Daniel Witter. Best doctor Tri-County's ever seen."

This time I rolled my eyes at her. She still thought I was better than I truly was. Of course, I still thought she was perfect.

We lay there on the bed for a while. I was holding her gently and she was trying to hold back tears. It was the last chance I'd have to hold her and I didn't want to miss a minute. I soaked in everything I could, from her lush lips to her slender calves. I needed to remember every detail, because a love like ours really was once in a lifetime. Unfortunately, Leah could live forever and the love she shared with Jake would survive over many lifetimes.

I felt her stiffen for just a second and knew he must be close. I didn't want to make this even more painful by watching their ceremonious reunion, so after one last kiss, I got off the bed and made my way to the door. I opened it just as Jake made a reach for the handle.

I couldn't help the feeling of being in limbo as a second passed where we both stood in that doorway. He was heading towards heaven, and me… I was off to a living hell.

I tried to smile at him, as a pointed in Lees direction.

"I think there's someone who wants to talk to you."

****

***

**

*

Jacob couldn't keep the tears from streaming down his face as he stared at Leah's laughing form.

"Are you going to come here or do I have to get up and drag you?" She gestured to the empty space on the bed next to her.

It took less than two strides for him to reach the bed and before she could say another word, his arms were around her and his lips were peppering kisses all over her face. She smelled like heaven and when she finally sought out his lips with her own, the searing heat that ran through him felt like some sort of glorious hell.

They broke apart only when he heard the monitors still connected to her body start to beep unnaturally fast and he realized her heart was practically running away. The tattoo in his own chest seemed to match hers, beat for beat.

"Tell me everything." She smiled at Jake as he hauled himself onto the bed next to her.

"Where do I start?"

"With the council, before you left. How did this whole thing even begin?"

He let out a sigh and dug up the memories of so long ago, there was so much to say and he felt like he would be wasting what precious time they had alone if he were to start his tale.

"This would be easier if we were phased."

She stared at him, and he stared back. She was impatient, always had been. And he was stubborn.

"I don't know when I can phase again…" She trailed off.

"I don't know when we'll get time alone again, and I'd rather not waste it talking." He grinned at her.

"You're such a guy… never wanna talk just want to make out." She smacked his arm and rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny the urge to press her lips against his once again.

"Baby, can you blame me? You look so sexy with that little gown on." He groaned out between heated kisses. "Please tell me you're going commando under that scrap of paper?"

She tried to hold in her laughter as she smacked him, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face for long.

"Horny bastard."

**A/N: So, most of this chapter's in Dan's POV but I wasn't ready to get rid of him just yet. I felt like he needed his moment. Sorry about the wait! Thank you for all your reviews, set new records on any one chapter to get reviewed! Keep 'em coming! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

*** Lemon Warning ***

"You know eventually we're going to have to get out of this bed." Leah whispered as Jake trailed kisses down her neck. He didn't look up until he had reached her belly button and ran his tongue around the outside.

"Five years, Lee." He leaned down to nip at her hipbone. "I think they can spare us a few days."

She chuckled at his eagerness and the sound quickly turned into a gasp as she felt his hot tongue searing the insides of her thighs. She had never forgotten how phenomenal making love with Jacob really was, but she was quickly reminded of the wicked things he could do with her tongue.

She cried out as he reached her soaking wet heat and licked a trail up the slit, finally reaching her throbbing bud of nerves. She was pulsating, the waves of pleasure rocking through her as he crisscrossed her clit before scraping it with his heat.

He could smell her everywhere and was dying to get closer. He wanted to reach deep inside of her until they were one, wanted to forget where he ended and she began. She was so beautiful lying there under him, completely vulnerable to his will.

He slid two fingers inside of her, testing her depths, wanting her to be ready for him because he couldn't wait much longer for their glorious release.

"God, baby you're so tight." He growled as he slipped in another digit. "Tight and wet and hot. Perfect."

She let out a slow moan at his words. The sensations coursing through her body were overwhelming.

"Jake…please." She whimpered as he removed his fingers from inside of her. They were coated in her juices, she could see the glistening and had the sudden urge to take them in her mouth and prove to Jacob that his wasn't the only wicked tongue in the room.

Before she could reach for him though, he began a path with his hand up her body. He started at the small v between her hips and ran his fingers up her belly slowly, detouring at her nipples to dance circles around the swollen buds and then up her neck. He grabbed her jaw in his hand and the scent of her own arousal on him was irresistible. She reached her tongue out and lapped at his closest digit.

They both groaned as his tongue followed the path of his hand.

"Jesus, Lee you taste…mmm so good." He stopped to tease her nipples with his teeth, scraping along their warm brown surfaces. His hand was still grasping her chin tight, and the need to toss her head was growing. She felt like her body would combust at any moment and the feeling only intensified as he pinned her hips with his own. She was completely at his mercy, his domination absolute.

"Please," she begged. "Please Jake…I need you…now." She cried out as he thrust into her.

Her hands were twisted in the bed sheets, her body arching to meet him thrust for thrust.

He wanted her, all of her to be his. He wanted her to submit, the inner animal in him crying out for power over his mate. He roughly grasped her wrists and encircled them in one of his broad hands, keeping them held over her head, while his other hand went to her thigh and brought it up to his chest.

"Tell me you want me, Leah." The sound of his voice and the way he growled out her name left her breathless.

She knew what he wanted, had played this game before, but that didn't mean she would submit without a fight.

"Ugh….ugh!" she cried out as the first waves of her release hit her. He was pounding into her mercilessly, reaching depths in her that only he knew existed.

His need for her was urgent. He wanted to mark her, claim her anyway he could. He thought of the past five years he was away, and the image of her with another man, and his thrusts increased.

He was jackhammering into her, his pounding bringing about wave after wave of pleasure from her core. Her pussy was so tight; he felt as if it was trying to draw him into its depths for eternity.

Leah was gasping for breath as each new orgasm tore through her at rapid speed. Her body was wet with exertion and she could feel Jake's perspiration mixing with her own.

"Leah, tell me!" he ground out between thrusts. "Say it…say you're…mine!"

He was holding back, they both knew it. He wouldn't cum until he heard what they both secretly wanted. But the orgasmic torture he was imposing on her body was making it heard for both of them to stay conscious.

"Oh baby… Ugh… Jacob…I'm yours!" she cried out as another wave crashed over her.

He released her wrists and brought an arm around her back as he scooped her up to keep in time with his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss as she felt him thrust into her one last time in release. The warm seed filling her was enough to contract her walls one final time and they held on tighter to each other as the rode this last high together.

When they were both finally able to catch their breaths, Jake laid her back on the bed, never loosing his hold of her.

"I'm so glad you got your own place." He chuckled as they lay in the afterglow.

"Yeah, I doubt mom would have appreciated that afternoon soundtrack."

She gave him a quick kiss before wriggling out of his grasp and reaching for his t-shirt to slip on.

"C'mon."

"But babe..." he whined.

"I need lunch if I'm going to keep up with you."

The mention of food had him on his feet and searching for his jeans in record time and she couldn't help laughing at his enthusiasm.

They made their way downstairs to the kitchen and he sat on the table as she searched the fridge.

The sight of her in his oversized shirt, and the way her hips moved was almost enough for him to drag her back to the bedroom. He rubbed his neck as he thought of their last round of lovemaking just moments ago. It had been…intense to say the least. Even before he left, when him and Leah were spending almost all of their time preoccupied with each others bodies, he had never felt that overwhelming need to possess her. It was terrifying and exhilarating the way this woman made him feel.

"Stop staring. It's irritating." Her playful voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry, but seeing you in that t-shirt makes me want to grab you and christen this table together." He smirked.

She blushed at his words, knowing entirely how serious he was. She felt the same way about him. Seeing him in just his worn Levi's, slung low on his hips, had her mouth literally watering.

"God, if we keep this up we're never going to leave this house."

He chuckled. "I know, and we do have to go back over to the tribal house later."

She nodded her head in understanding, but really the thought had slipped her mind during the hours of pleasure she was just experienced. She had completely forgot that Jake was going to start his preparation tonight for his initiation ceremonies. It was a two-week long process, and he would be gone for another seven days with the men of the council.

Thinking of this brought her back to a few days ago when she was released from the hospital. As soon as Sue and Seth and a few of the others had visited and brought over as many casseroles as her freezer could hold, she sat Jake down and insisted he tell her what in the hell had gone on the past five years.

_'Tell me everything.' She demanded as soon as the last guest had made their exit._

_'Okay…well you remember the talk of the Spirit Journey, it was something the council had been talking about for a while?' He continued when she nodded her head. 'I was only allowed to tell you so much, the rest was kept completely secret from the entire tribe except for me and the council…they didn't want any of the guys to get some heroic idea and try to follow me…Most of the council believed I was going on a suicide mission.'_

**A/N: Okay…so lots going on. My first lemon ever! Hope I did the very sexy pair justice… The flashback at the end is a bit of a cliffhanger but I'm home sick so the next chapter will be posted asap with the entire flashback and Jake's whole journey laid out, every gory detail. REVIEW!!! How'd you feel about the lemon? How do you feel about the story as a whole? Can't wait to hear from all of you lovelies!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

_'Tell me everything.' She demanded as soon as the last guest had made their exit. 'Okay…well you remember the talk of the Spirit Journey, it was something the council had been talking about for a while?' He continued when she nodded her head. 'I was only allowed to tell you so much, the rest was kept completely secret from the entire tribe except for me and the council…they didn't want any of the guys to get some heroic idea and try to follow me…Most of the council believed I was going on a suicide mission.'_

_ 'But they still made you go?'_

_ 'No one made me do anything, Lee. This was all me. I made the decision to go.'_

_ 'Well, what the hell's wrong with you? How could you…you just…left us! You went on this goddamned journey knowing you probably wouldn't return! What is wrong with you?' Leah grumbled at him. They were still basking in their newfound happiness, but she had always had a short temper and hearing Jacob's nonchalance about marching off to hell was exactly the spark to light her fuse._

_ 'Baby, I knew I'd come back to you. I completely believed that I would return, no matter what the council thought.' He scooted over to her on the couch, and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. She let out a huff, but her arms found their way around his neck._

_ 'Plus, I had an extremely motivating incentive.'_

_ 'Oh yeah?'_

_ He nodded his head before pressing his lips tenderly to hers. 'I had to make this world better for our babies.'_

_ Her heart nearly came out of her chest as he whispered this to her, and there were tears brimming in her eyes. The sacrifices this man made for their love were tremendous. They spoke silent I love you's to each other before he placed one last gentle kiss to her collarbone and continued. _

_ 'So, you remember when I left?' She nodded her head in agreement. 'Well first I went over to Montana. There were rumors about some shifters in a tribe there, and I wanted to find out if the rumors were true. Unfortunately, there weren't any shifters at the time. But, there are stories of them in the past. Foxes. The tales of the Sioux are very similar to ours, so I know we're not alone. There are other shifters out there. When I left there, I headed to Wyoming to speak with the Crow Nation. They also have a history of shifters. Not in our generation but in our fathers, they had a pack of coyotes.'_

_ 'We're the only wolves?' _

_ 'Well, not exactly. I continued traveling, and as I did I discovered more and more stories. Rumors that no one ever had proof of. Myths and legends. Overgrown wolves invading a small town Oklahoma, or native men having growth spurts in different parts of the Dakotas… So, even though I didn't find any wolves, doesn't mean there aren't any out there.'_

_ 'Okay so after you went all Detective McGruff, what'd you do? You couldn't have honestly spent five years touring the Midwest native nations!'_

_ 'True…so after I did my research here, I went abroad.'_

_ 'Looking for more shifters?'_

_ 'Not exactly… I was… studying.'_

_ 'Aw, honey. You finally working on that bachelor's degree?' She smirked at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm._

_ 'Well, if they offered a bachelor's in vamp ass-kicking and mixed martial arts…then yeah!'_

_ She snorted, trying to control the laughter. 'Wait… you were over there…for five years…studying…karate?'_

_ 'You're hilarious.' He deadpanned back at her. _

_ 'I get it…I really do. You've gotta have like a rainbow belt by now!' Tears were streaming from her eyes and she crossed her arms over her abdomen, trying to ease some of the tension from laughing so hard. Her overgrown, twenty something boyfriend, traveled to China to learn judo chopping from a master. What's not funny about that?_

_ 'Whenever you're done cackling at me, I'll finish my story… I figure you'd like to hear about how I dismembered the demon twins with my bare hands.'_

_ This got her attention._

_ 'What?'_

_ 'That's what I thought…' he mumbled under his breath. 'While I was abroad, and learning the art of "judo chopping" I also studied the discipline of the old age. I spent time in a Buddhist monastery in India and learned the way of the Mahayana…' he paused as Leah's eyes widened. 'I studied the Tao and Complete Reality with a master in northern China. And as I studied, I fought. I learned mixed martial arts, perfecting my hand to hand combat.' _

_ 'So you… fought the vampires? In…human form?'_

_ 'I have disciplined myself to focus my energy entirely to my task...' He didn't really want to get into the details of how completely changed he had been. Sure, he was still good ole' Jake, but when he wanted, he could shut that part of himself off. The transformation was terrifying at first, but he grew to master this new power of enlightenment. _

_ 'So now you're some sort of… super superhero?'_

_ He chuckled at her awestruck expression. 'Babe, sometimes you've gotta create a god to defeat the devil.'_

**A/N: The complete flashback. Please forgive me for any incorrect information on the Native American tribes mentioned, the Asian religions mentioned, and please forgive Jacob for being so completley arrogant in referring to himself as a god, but I just had to have that line in there somewhere! All information used in this chapter is taken from the internet, so it may be incorrect, or from my own small knowledge on Asian religions from college courses taken! Hope you enjoy... review! I want to hear what you think! **_**R/R**_** please!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

"Jake, we need to get a move on." Billy said as he wheeled over to where the rest of the councilmen were waiting.

"Easy, old man. Let me say goodbye to my girl here." Jake grinned at him. "And, we can't go anywhere til Embry's done saying goodbye to Jess, anyways."

Both Jake and the councilmen looked over to the driveway where Embry and his wife were engaged in a heated make-out session.

"Doesn't look like that's gonna be anytime soon," Old Quil muttered. "…over there neckin' like bunch of horny teenagers."

Of course, with their super hearing, Jake and Leah knew exactly what Billy was saying under his breath, and couldn't help laughing.

Jake turned back to Leah, and watched as she held Leanne. The two girls made quite the pair, and he was struck by how perfect the scene was… he couldn't wait for the day when Lee would walk around with their own babies on her hip.

"Hiya baby girl." He reached for Leanne and tickled her belly as she hid her tiny face in Leah's neck.

"Jacob, you're gonna give the kid nightmares." Leah smirked at him.

"Shut it, I'm great with kids. Isn't that right, Lee-lee?"

The little girl pulled away from Leah long enough to shake her head at Jake, before sticking a very tiny thumb in her already pouty mouth.

Leah laughed at the shocked expression on Jake's face.

"This is some sort of conspiracy," he mumbled before pasting on a frown and working some crocodile tears.

Leanne saw the look of hurt on Jake's face and instantly reached toward him, climbing into his arms and laying a sloppy kiss on his russet cheek.

Jake smirked at Leah over the girl's head, and she swatted his arm. Leanne settled into Jacob's big chest, and closed her eyes. Both adults stared at her for a few seconds before Jake cleared his throat.

"I uh, don't suppose you want one?" he asked timidly, his eyes trained on Leah to catch her reaction.

"A baby?"

Jake nodded.

"Yeah… I mean, someday… Someday, I'd love to have a baby with you." She smiled at him, and he swore he could feel his heart trying to break out of his chest.

She must have heard it too, because she started laughing at the embarrassed flush on his face.

"Yeah." Jake nodded. "Once we're married."

He watched as Leah's eyes widened.

"Please, sweet Jesus, tell me that's not your proposal?"

He chuckled before pulling her into his arms and kissing both of the girls' heads.

"And if it was?"

"Then, I'd suggest you put Lee-lee down because I don't want her to witness what I wanna do to you."

Jake grinned then nuzzled her head. "Mmm… that sounds naughty."

Leah reached up and pressed her lips along his neck before nipping his earlobe, "Oh baby, it'll be really naughty when you dig my boot out of your ass."

Jake gulped. "You know, when you say it like that, it's much less threatening."

Leah pulled away and swatted him again. "Pervert."

They waited as Embry made his way over. When he reached them, he took Leanne in his arms and swung her around before hauling her in to shower in kisses.

"I'm gonna miss you, princess. Keep an eye on mama for me, okay?"

Leanne nodded her head full of curls and he dropped one more kiss to her nose.

"Are you kids finished tootin' around?" Billy grumbled. "We're gonna need to leave at some point."

Embry set Lee-lee down and looked to Jake. "Duty calls, brother."

Jake nodded, "Be right there."

He turned to Leah and gave her another kiss, using all of his self-control to not drag her back into her cabin.

"Come back to me soon."

"Always," Jake pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, "Take care of our people, my beautiful warrior."

**A/N: It's a short chapter, and not my best but I've been out of the game for a month… it's still extremely important for some Jake and Lee fluff. It can't be tumultuous romance all the time. Now, I've decided where I want this story to go. It will only be another six chapters until the end. And there will be a character death! If you review/PM me and you guess correctly, I might just let you in on some story secrets that are going to be happening. I hope everyone has a great holiday. I will be updating very soon, but the more reviews I get the sooner it will be! Don't just put me on alert--- REVIEW!!! I'd absolutely love to hear from someone who has never reviewed, as well as my faithful reviewers, and it would be the very best holiday gift to me!!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

While the men were away on Jake's initiation trip, Leah tried to go about her days as normally as before. She tried not to dwell on memories of the last time Jake kissed her lips and promised to come back to her, because she didn't think she could survive another five years alone.

She visited Seth, and tried to cheer him up since he was one of the pack members who felt left out of the councilmen's trip. As Leah put it, he didn't get to run with the big dogs and that made the little puppy sad. Of course, she was more rubbing salt in the wound than she was cheering him up, but hey that's what older sisters are for.

The night before the men were due back, she went over to Rachel Meraz's house for a ladies night complete with facials and cocktails so strong they'd burn hair off a werewolf.

Leah enjoyed having Emily around again, it had been years since they had last seen each other and all of their past hurts were put aside. Both women knew what it was like to lose the man of their dreams, and the past was the past. Family still mattered and the girls spent the night reminiscing about high school, and all of the sketchy characters Leah had attracted in the past.

"But really, Lee. Don't you think it's just a little bit of karma biting you in the ass for always being the prettiest girl on the rez?" Rachel joked after the girls were on the third round of drinks.

"No! No way was Jeremy Skye showing up on my doorstep on prom night karma! It was a nightmare. He was a pepperoni face, and his pants were high waters!"

"Oh please, he wasn't that bad looking. And, I always liked the way he expressed himself through his outfits." Emily butted in.

"When he showed up, dad asked him '_where's the flood, boy?_'" Leah gave her best Harry Clearwater impression as all the girls busted into laughter. "Really, Jess if you had seen this guy you would've completely agreed with me. I am a walking billboard for hopeless Neanderthals."

"I don't think that's exactly true, miss chieftainess." Jess smiled at the blush rising on Leah's cheeks.

"Is that even the right word? Chieftainess? Chiefess?"

"Rach, you sound like you're drunk." Leah giggled.

"All hail mighty chieftainess Leah Kayan Clearwater!" Rachel mock bowed in front of her. "The greatest werewolf to ever lack a Y chromosome!"

All of the girls broke out in another fit of laughter as Rachel tried to bow a second time to Leah and ended up on her head.

"All right Meraz, I'm putting you to bed." Jess tugged Rachel's arms and with Leah's help got her back on her feet before ushering her out of the living room.

Leah started to clear up empty bottles and glasses from the night of womanly mayhem, and worked side-by-side with Emily in a companionable silence as they cleared away all traces of their fun. By the time Jess came back from Rachel's room, the two were finished cleaning and both were out on the porch enjoying the cool air of the night.

Jess let herself out the screen door and joined them, pulling a pack of Virginia Slims from her back pocket and offering one to both women. Leah tried to hide her shock when Emily accepted one and expertly lit it up.

"Em, how long have you smoked?" Leah asked after a few minutes.

"Pretty much since I moved back to the Makah." Emily looked at the cigarette perched between her fingers in thought, "It's a nasty habit, but I stick to Slims. Usually lights but this girl," she gestured to Jess on an exhale, "seems to like the menthols. Which is something I'll never understand."

"Don't knock my smokes, woman." Jess pointed at Emily with her free hand. "I only get 'em out when I'm drinking anyways, and believe me trying to keep up with Leah's wolf metabolism –I need something to sober me up as we go."

Leah thought about it, and really Emily picking up smoking wasn't such a shock. Cigarettes supposedly helped with stress and she could understand that Emily must have had a lot to deal with after losing Sam. She just never thought about doing something like smoking because phasing was probably the best stress relief you could get.

"So, Em how's life up North?" Leah asked.

Emily finished her cigarette and crushed out the light on the porch railing before flicking the bud into the yard. "It's going… It varies from day to day, honestly."

The two girls listened quietly as Emily went on.

"Some days I still can't find the energy to get out of bed, but those are getting fewer and farther between."

Emily cracked a shy smile, and Leah couldn't help thinking of what she had admitted to her earlier in the night of how her first year without Sam she would rarely leave her bed, much less her little two room apartment. Eventually Emily's mom, Leah's aunt, put her foot down and forced the woman to get herself together. Emily said it was the hardest thing she's ever done.

"You know, I met someone." Emily hesitated, waiting to see their reaction before she continued. "He was visiting, getting information for a book he's writing. He came by my mom's shop for breakfast and wound up staying all day… We're not serious, but it's a start."

"That's great, Em!" Leah congratulated her.

"Yeah, I mean… he's no Sam… but he's something." She paused, lost to some kind of memory, and when she looked back up there were tears in her eyes.

"He doesn't mind my scars. Like he doesn't even see them. It's…refreshing."

Leah pulled her into a hug, and Jess rubbed her back as the three sat on the porch, each one wiping away quiet tears. Emily's loss was monumental, and Leah felt that as she thought of the time she had lost Jacob. Even after her imprint with Daniel, she still sometimes felt like she couldn't go out and face the world without Jake, her heart's man, beside her. How do you recover from that type of loss?

After a while, Emily pulled back from the two and stared off into the yard.

"You know, I used to think if I ever lost Sam that it would be the end of my life. Losing him would be the end of me… and I wasn't wrong. When you lose someone that makes you the person that you are, that part of you dies…But you can't just lose yourself. So, what do you do?"

She looked back at Jess and Leah, her two sisters in so many ways. Her eyes were shining but her voice was strong when she answered,

"What do you do? You survive."

**A/N: This might be one of my favorite chapters, and it doesn't even have Jacob in it! I'm sorry to all of you looking forward to some Jacob/Leah fluff --but Leah's an independent woman and she needs to have some of her own storyline! REVIEW! And thank you to all who reviewed for the firs time last chapter, keep it up!!! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to S. Meyer.**

_To JacobLeah, because you took the time to ask. _

It had been seven days since Jake had left for his trip with the men of the council. And although he was due back this evening, Leah felt like time was dragging on. Trying to pass the time quickly, she went to Jess's house and played with little Lee-lee.

She couldn't help thinking about what Jake had said before he left, and how he had tried to slyly ask about babies and marriage. He was never very subtle, but that was one of his flaws she couldn't find fault in. He went after what he wanted.

_ And he wanted her to have his babies._

This thought cut her heart a little bit more, because she knew that babies were the one thing she just couldn't give him. She thought he would remember that, remember how the bitter harpy was also the menopausal wolf. The one whos body had just dried up inside, leaving her empty and barren.

But her was gone a long time, and she could forgive him for the lapse in memory. Even if hearing him ask her if she'd "want one" someday would probably be what her nightmares were made of over the next several months. Maybe years.

"She-wolf, you're looking like you're on another planet." Jess's voice broke the silence Leah had been wallowing in.

"Hmm, sorry about that."

"Thinking about the boys? I know I miss Embry like crazy and poor Leanne hasn't been able to sleep in her bed all week without daddy to tuck her in."

Leah smiled at her, and reached for Lee-lee who was busy making imaginary cookies in her little oven.

"You haven't been sleeping in your big-girl bed?" She teased the little girl while running ticklish fingers along her sides. "Uh oh! You've been sneaking into bed with mommy? That's not the little Lee-lee I know!"

"Aunt Leah, stop it! I am NOT little!" Leanne giggled as she tried to squirm out of Leah's grasp.

"Could've fooled me, baby girl. Only little Lee-lee's don't sleep in their big-girl bed." Jess teased from where she sat on the couch watching the two.

Leah smiled at Leanne and pulled her in for a hug, before whispering in her ear, "You wanna know a secret?"

Leanne nodded and waited for her aunt to continue.

"When my daddy went away, I crawled into bed with my mama every night. And she would braid my hair for me as I fell asleep… and I was definitely not little then."

"Did she braid your hair like you braid mine?"

"She sure did. And it always put me to sleep."

"I like when you do it too, Aunt Leah." Leanne pulled away from the hug after a few seconds and went back to her oven.

Leah watched her for a few more minutes before Jess nudged her and gestured toward the kitchen. She followed her in and sat down at the table as Jess poured them each a cup of coffee.

"So, what's really on your mind?"

Leah raised an eyebrow and took the steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"Honey, I've known you for years. And I know your mopey Jake face… that is definitely not it."

"You're right." Leah chuckled. "I mean I do miss Jake, but I've been thinking lately…"

"Oh Lord, whoever told you wolves it was a good idea for ya'll to try thinking must've been crazy."

Leah just huffed at her before continuing. "Jake asked me before he left if I wanted to have kids."

She watched as Jess frowned before swallowing her coffee. The other woman knew all about Leah's trials with having children. She watched as Leah and Dan both struggled through fertility testing, not that they wanted kids right away or anything, but just wanted to know the option was available.

And deep down, Jess sort of just figured that Leah was unable to have kids because it was Dan, and her body knew better than to have anyone but Jacob's little pups.

"Have you started…" she trailed off.

"Jess, I haven't had a period since I was almost nineteen. I mean, Dan spent thousands on tests. I just don't think it's in the cards for me."

"Well, Jake knew that before right? It wasn't exactly like you hid the fact that you were bitchy for a reason."

"Thanks."

"Hey, I'm just saying! It's not like you have to spring it on him as he's deciding which color to paint the nursery!"

"Jesus, Jess! A little sensitivity would be nice."

"Honey, it's me. You want sensitivity then you should've gone to Quil." She laughed and Leah couldn't help letting out a smile of her own.

"Listen, just tell Jake that it's not an option… Gently, of course. It's not like he's going to leave you, he's been waiting a freaking decade for you. You broke an imprint for him. You two will be fine, just be honest."

"I know, you're right."

They heard Leanne's giggle coming from the living room, and both women glanced towards the doorway and saw her clapping her little hands together as the oven's timer went off.

"You and Embry sure did luck out."

Jess glanced at Leah and frowned a little as she noticed the way her eyes seemed to glisten as she watched Leanne.

"Hey, you know neither of us could've done it without you. Lee-lee loves you…And you know that she'll always be part yours."

Leah nodded as she tried to hold the tears back at Jess's kind words. They both turned to watch the little girl again as black curls bounced with her laughter.

They kept watching her until the shrill of the phone broke them out of their stare.

"And, that'll be the council calling to say they're home."

**A/N: So, I'm back. I can't apologize enough about the wait….but it was a much needed break from the writing world. If you're interested in what I've been up to, look to my newly updated profile for details. Also, this may just seem like a filler chapter (especially since it's another chapter without Jacob), but it really is important to the plot of this story. Look for another Lemon in the next chapter and only four more to the end! REVIEW!**


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